


Folding Stars

by StrangerHarringroves



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Assisted Suicide, Character Death, Euthanasia, Family Loss, Heavy Angst, Reno is heartbroken, Terminal Illnesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:33:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24253660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrangerHarringroves/pseuds/StrangerHarringroves
Summary: Reno prepares to say goodbye to his mother.My summaries suck but this is sad. Please heed the warnings 😅
Kudos: 1





	Folding Stars

**Author's Note:**

> This ficlet was born from a music prompt and ended up rather angst-filled 😭 Be gentle!

Gravity feels like it is slipping away any at any second, it is going to suck him away into the darkness where he would float alone. Reno turns his back on the hospital that held so much pain, heart thumping weakly against his chest. He feels eight years old again. Helpless and useless. His head is pounding and he feels like his heart could stop any moment.

Why.. 

It's dark outside. Almost pitch black. The moon is full and ominous, bathing the garden with an eerie glow. Reno just wants to be alone so he can process this. No longer able to stand under the weight of his emotions, he sinks to his knees and huddles in on himself. The chill breeze nips at his bare arms but it helps him calm down, like pouring water on a fire. It is difficult for him to wrap his head around the situation. It is like he lost in a incoherent jumble of feelings, from elation to grief. Elated that he was finally able to afford to give his ma decent care and that they could spend some time together, grief that their time would be cruelly cut short regardless.

He can't make sense if it. Did Ma not want to be with him too? Reno already knows the answer before the thought surfaces. She is in terrible agony... Her illness is destroying her. Admitting that to himself right now is like taking a knife to his heart and twisting it. Hot tears dribble down his cheeks. Reason slowly ebbs back to him, though everything still hurts. Arms wrap securely around himself. He should be ashamed. Through the maelstrom of his emotions is sudden clarity. Ma simply couldn't bear the pain any longer. She is hurting and with sadness, Reno realises, she probably has been these past few months. The hospital was meant to make her last days comfortable, not prolong the inevitable. 

I've been so selfish... 

The words that Ma had spoken to him return hauntingly, “Reno? I was wondering…would you be opposed if I chose to end it all? I won’t if that’s what you wish, but I just want to know if…if it would be all right?” 

He had been so blind-sighted by the first part that he had failed to realise that his ma was willing to endure it even longer for his sake. His heart stops. Such a selfless sacrifice... Wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand, Reno rises to his feet. As heartbreaking as this is going to be, he knows what he must do. Heading back inside the hospital, he struggles to regulate his breathing as he approaches Ma's room and upon entry, he finds the frail woman exactly how he left her. Wringing his hands together, he walks over to the bed, taking a seat next to her. His heart is thrumming wildly and he can already feel another lump forming in his throat. 

The next words out of his mouth will be the hardest he's ever had to say.   
"I'm sorry for running away, for reacting the way I did." He starts softly. "You kind of caught me off guard there. I needed to get out and .. it gave me some time to think." Swallowing thickly, he reaches for his ma's hand. "I love you. I love you and that is what makes this so hard. I don't want you to suffer." His voice then cracks, his composure once again crumbling. "I don't want you to feel pain anymore. I want you to have peace." The tears flow freely now, dripping onto their entwined hands. "If this is what you want, I will support you.” 

Hours later, the papers were signed: consent to increase her medication, allowing her to pass peacefully in eternal sleep. Reno doesn’t regret his decision to bring her here. She was so proud that he had a job, so happy for him. For the first couple of months, there was a spark of hope in Reno that maybe, somehow, she would actually get better. She deteriorated fast. She was ready to go and looking back, prolonging her painful life just so that he could see her, would have been harder than letting her go now. 

That’s what Reno tells himself as he tucks a photograph of them both into his wallet, taken only days ago, to carry with him always.


End file.
